A pair of Magpies have chosen a tree opposite my balcony in which to make their new nest and are making amazing progress. This picture of a small jumble of twigs was taken last weekend, when I first noticed they kept returning to the same spot. Just one week later, their new home now looks like this!
Interestingly, two of their old nests were visible from my apartment but, rather than re-using the same nest, they chose to recycle the sticks in order to make a new one. One of the two has completely disappeared, partly thanks to the local Monk Parakeets, who also seem to have helped themselves to the easily accessible concentration of building material. The first singing Chiffchaffs had arrived in Brussels by 28 February and, yesterday, during a long hike in the Hautes Fagnes, I finally added one last winter visitor, Great Grey Shrike, to my year list before the onslaught of all the other summer migrants begins.
